The U.S. ambassador to Canada, David Jacobson, chatted about hockey during a speech in Montreal today and he saluted the Habs' surprising playoff run. The White House envoy also joked that, with his limited French, he understood the word "Halak" to mean "gigantic contract."

The Canadiens cashed in on the stellar goaltending of Halak to upset the Caps and then the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins before falling in the Eastern Conference finals to Philadelphia. This summer, it's expected to be Halak's turn to cash in. He's a restricted free agent for the Canadiens; and at 25 years old and with the free-agent goaltending market rather thin, Halak could see his $775,000 cap hit skyrocket.

We asked Halak's agent, Allan Walsh, how he felt about the White House supporting his client's next "gigantic" contract. Said Walsh:

"This is all part of the master plan, as I personally supported President Obama in the last U.S. Presidential election and appreciate his returning the favor now."